Advice required for bathroom wall tiling

[DzineTech]

Hi all, I've been browsing about the threads on this site for a few days now trying to get some tips on tiling. I'm currently installing my new bathroom and I've relined the walls with 9.5mm gyproc wallboard and I've been looking around at tiles in Topps, tile-it-all etc..

There seems to be a lot of opinions as to what adhesive is best but I'm looking for some advice for what I should do. I've read that BAL whitestar is pretty much the best about, only problem is that I haven't found it anywhere(I'm based near Edinburgh). I've seen BAL Grip in Topps. Screwfix seem to have a few but I dont know what is crap and what isn't. They sell Bluestar cheaper than Topps yet some people here don't recommend it. Screwfix also sell Mapei Keraquick and Keraflex but again I'm not sure if they are suitable or if I'd be wasting my time.

The tiles I like so far are 330x416 ceramic with a cross check pattern on the back; not sure if this helps any recommendations.

Any help on adhesive, priming and trowel's would be really appreciated. The last thing I want are tiles falling off.

Cheers

 

[Varley]

If you ask in Topps they may order you some Whitestar in, and your right, it is the best adhesive on the market.

 

[DHTiling]

hi and welcome....depending on the thickness of that tile you are on the borderline of using a dispersion adhesive ( tubbed ) and using a cement based one ( powder form ).
you will get white star at CTD in edinburgh.Ceramic Tile Distributors .but i would recommend using a single part flexible powder adhesive....prime the board with bal bond sbr ratio 4 parts water to 1 part sbr...use a 6mm trowel and back butter tiles to achieve a solid bed fix...fially grout with a flexible wall grout.......

 

[McP77]

Would be cement based adhesive all the way for me too.

 

[DzineTech]

Apologies for the delay and thanks for the advice; in the end I've gone for the SPF white. I didn't go to CTD due to location but went to Collinson Ceramics who were very helpful. dhceramics: I've noticed you've recommened using Bond SBR for use with p/b on other threads. I ended up getting APD as thats what the BAL technical lit recommends. Do you find the SBR works just as well for you or is there another reason?

I haven't taped and filled the boards; is this something I should do or is it not necessary providing the adhesive fills the minor gap between boards? Also, I'm going draw up my tiling layout on my CAD software (slightly geeky but I'm an Architectural Technician) to work out where I will need cuts etc. I was thinking that when I do start to tile, I would start on the wall that runs parallel with the longest side of the bath. Do you recommend

• starting at a level above the bath using full tiles from a level batten that will finish at the ceiling and making the cuts tiles below to the bath rim once the others have set, or
• should I start with the cut tile and continue upwards with the full tile

Lastly, I picked up a bag of 2mm spacers, are these suitable or would I need to go up to 5mm with the size of I tile I have.

Thanks again guys

 

[DHTiling]

APD and SBR are both primers in there own rights...APD is solely a primer where as SBR is a primer and a bonding agent..i use SBR solely out of preference as it has a multitude of uses......dave....

 

[grumpygrouter]

Apologies for the delay and thanks for the advice; in the end I've gone for the SPF white. I didn't go to CTD due to location but went to Collinson Ceramics who were very helpful. dhceramics: I've noticed you've recommened using Bond SBR for use with p/b on other threads. I ended up getting APD as thats what the BAL technical lit recommends. Do you find the SBR works just as well for you or is there another reason?

I haven't taped and filled the boards; is this something I should do or is it not necessary providing the adhesive fills the minor gap between boards? Also, I'm going draw up my tiling layout on my CAD software (slightly geeky but I'm an Architectural Technician) to work out where I will need cuts etc. I was thinking that when I do start to tile, I would start on the wall that runs parallel with the longest side of the bath. Do you recommend

• starting at a level above the bath using full tiles from a level batten that will finish at the ceiling and making the cuts tiles below to the bath rim once the others have set, or
• should I start with the cut tile and continue upwards with the full tile

Lastly, I picked up a bag of 2mm spacers, are these suitable or would I need to go up to 5mm with the size of I tile I have.

Thanks again guys

Always start tiling with a full tile from you datum line. Do your cuts later. Interesting that you are going to use CAD to try and work out your cuts. I would only use it as a guide, mind, as sure as shooting, they won't match your calculations. tiles aren't generally exactly square and not always the same size, even in the same box.

Grout line size is down to personal preference. Smaller grout lines are harder to keep to. Using a bigger spacer would eneable you to "lose" variations more easily.

Grumpy

 

[DzineTech]

Cheers guys. The CAD work is just a method for me to get a quick visual for basic setting out. Totally agree about tiles and their tolerances but the couple of mins work plotting out various combo's of rectangles should prove useful. I'm not sure if I'll got for stretcher or stack bonded effect. I'm guessing stretcher bond will hide any novice errors of vertical tile edges not always lining up.

When you say datum line, is this a horizontal point worked out from ceiling level down in full tiles and joints till you have less than a full tile to the bath?

Cheers

 

[DHTiling]

A datum is a point from which measurements are made. this is a point which is used to determine where your heights are worked from.......dave...

 

[brian c]

A datum line is a line around the room at the same height,this is achieved by using a laser level or by the old tried and trusted spirit level,turn the spirit level after every lenght(THIS IS INCASE THE LEVEL HAS ANY FLAWS AT ALL,THIS WILL ENSURE A TRUE LINE)HOPE THIS HELPS.If you work from or to this line you shouldnt have any variations with your tiles meeting.(lipping)

 

[DzineTech]

Reading back to my previous post I gave the impression that I wasn't aware of what a datum was. What I meant to ask was if you as a pro tiler were approaching the same task, where would you choose your datum to be? My guess as before is at a level that would have you finish with a full tile at ceiling level. Would this be correct?

 

[penno]

No mate, can't always finish with a full tile at the ceiling, for example if a window was involved it may mean that by laying full tiles at the top slithers are created around the windows top/bottom.

 

[NickH]

You need to set a datum with regard to every horizontal feature in the room, ie floor, bath rim, cieling, window top and bottom, door frames, boxing in etc etc. Your final datum will hopefully avoid any nasty cuts around all of these but its alway going to be a compromise to get the best overall finish.
Once you have set your horizontal datum you can then lay out each wall/panel with regard to every vertical feature, again its going to involve some sort of compromise between different cuts.